The Dominion, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1907. STILL MISSING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 333, 21 October 1908, Page 4

The Dominion, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1907. STILL MISSING.

The anxious Ministerial journal which in February last complained that the Government had no policy—"the party," it criod, "has surely brains enough to form' a progressive platform"—appears to have had good ground for its uneasiness. The Peime Minister has spoken in Palmerston to the tune of nearly 20,000 words, and has not only failed to announce anything remotely resembling a policy, but has stated that he has no policy left. His only policy—if it can be called a policy—is "a rest from legislation." Conscious that his sudden discovery of the virtues of rest will be attributed to its true causo, bankruptcy of ideas, he strove, by a long recital of every fact, fiction, and figure that lie could muster relating to the past, to persuade his aiidicnco that the great engine of "Liberalism" is still moving on. It was cleverly done. The meritorious actions of tho past fifteen years—and what Qovornmwt in without soma goad deeds to its all dragged forward.

and made to do duty over again, and actions which were not meritorious were put forward in their best light. Where facts or figures were weak, they were bolstered with bold assertion. ■ It was a good electioneering speech until subjected to analysis. Then its emptiness became apparent. It was merely a recital of tho past as seen through Ministerial spectaclos. No longer are wo to have this country careering along in the van of the nations on the wheels of ihnumorable fresh laws. Suddenly, at the height of its career, "Liberalism" has come to a dead stop. "I am of opinion," said Sir Joseph Ward, "that, while progress should be our watchword, a rest in legislation is desirable." Nobody expected, of course, that tho Government, having come to the end of its tether in the. matter of ideas, would cease shouting "Progress!" Nor will sensible people complain if this vocal impotence is the limit of its future activity. In announcing the inauguration of the "rest-cure," Sin Joseph Ward was charmingly naif. For legislation he is going to substitute administration. "I think," ho said, "that as we have done so much, and met the general requirements of our country so effectively, that our efforts should now be directed towards good administration of our laws." It seems that thoso critics have been right after all who have been complaining for years that the administration of the country has been corrupt, inefficient, and wasteful. Now, at last, when "Liberalism" can find no further fields to conquer, no now work to be done short of bringing on the whole programme of Socialism, the Government has decided to turn its attention to administration. There is some comfort in tho reflection that a late repentance is- better than none at all, but it is unfortunate that in its zeal to lead tho van the Government has been unablo during all these years to take stock of its administration. What would the public not give had the Doble sentiment of the Prime Minister's been uttorcd and acted upon by his predecessor a dozen years ago? The public will.be able, in its surprise and satisfaction, to find a moment to admire the calm cynicism of the Government's postponement of its own reform until it had enjoyed its fling to the full and drunk the cup of 'its opportunities to the dregs. For fifteen years the Lib-, oral Administration has been corrupting the public conscience, reducing Parliament to a lower level, than Parliament had ever reached, piling fetters upon the liberty of the individual, using tho public funds as the privy purse of the party in power, increasing the debt of the country by millions every year, wringing yearly greater and greater tolls from the over-taxed public, and in the meantime crowding the Statute Book with laws some of which can only work successfully when the laws of human nature and. of economics ceaso to exist. And at last, unable any longer to frame a legislative policy, it blandly announces that the time has come to pay attention to administration. When the Prime Minister came to explaining what the new "policy" will effect, he was lamentably vague. "By curtailing legislation, a greater opportunity will bo given to members of Parliament to discuss the general administration of tho country, and as our departmerits have been added to greatly during recent years, I feel that in giving effect to a policy of this nature it will be calculated to inspire a greater confidence and general satisfaction to the country as a whole, and to carry out tho work that Parliament is really intended for." At last tho Prime' Minister confesses that the flood of legis--lation has given members no opportunity properly to discuss the general administration of the country. At last he admits that Parliament' has been abusing its functions, and that thero has after all been good cause for the uneasiness and dissatisfaction that have long been expressed, in the face of the most violent abuse from tho Ministerialists, by the patriotic and thoughtful section of the community.

Those people who, like ourselves, have unceasingly called public attention to the degradation of Parliament and to tho .conscienceless opportunism of tho Government will find in tho promise of a halt in the wild career of "Liberalism" as much satisfaction as in tho belated vindication of their criticisms. 'Wo must sympathise with the unhappy Ministerial journals which will have to reconcile their statements that tho Government has a great policy and a great field of legislation awaiting its attention with the Prime Minister's own announcement that his armoury is bare. All that Sir Joseph Ward can offer to tho public is a Government full of pious hopes and noble aspirations, and bearing as a motto "Opportunity for all." To this sad ond has como the reign of Opportunism. There will not, of, course, bo a cessation of the legislative machine. There will bo sufficient occupation for many sessions to come in amending the slipshod laws of tho past fifteen years. It is not an inspiriting spectacle—this Government whose only policy js "Opportunity for all" and as many other noble sentiments as you choose, coupled with the gloomy but useful business of "repairs." That the experiments are to ceasa is a subject for deep satisfaction: wo have before now expressed the viow that the country requires very little fresh legislation excepting in amendment or repeal of the existing laws. But less satisfactory—wholly unsatisfactory, indeed —is the Prime Minister's neglect to promise any one of the many reforms that are urgently needed. Tho Ministerialists havo grown so accustomed to regard the Government as an inexhaustible repository of ideas, as woll as of money, that we fear the effect upon them of this sudden revelation by Sir Joseph Ward that tho ideas have .feiven out.